All parents hope for a prosperous, happy and secure future for their offspring. However, with the global unrest caused by the financial crisis still fresh in many people’s minds, there is evidence that people are concerned for the financial future of their children.

The data in the following graph is taken from the Pew Research Center. Residents of 40 countries, aged 18 and over, were asked, “When children today in our country grow up, do you think they will be better off or worse off financially than their parents?” The graph shows the countries where the highest percentage of the population believe children will be worse off.

France comes top of the list, with a huge 85% of the population believing the country’s children will be worse off financially than their parents. Japan and the United Kingdom are not far behind. The graph is dominated by advanced economies – overall only 24% of the population of advanced economies believe their children will be better off.